Why - And How - Windsor Sets A Higher Standard

Reputation

Healthcare is one of the most highly regulated industries in the country. A multitude of regulatory schemes enacted by the federal government and State of California are designed to protect patients in all types of healthcare settings, including skilled nursing.

Windsor considers compliance with these various laws to be minimum standards of conduct. Windsor is committed to delivering care to its patients that exceeds all state and federal regulations. Windsor judges itself by continuously monitoring the quality of its care and its standards of ethical responsibility. Quality care, dedication to patient satisfaction, and attention to safety have always been Windsor’s hallmarks.

Presuming that customer satisfaction and quality care go hand in hand, Windsor is proud to report that its 2009 Customer Satisfaction Survey revealed that 80% of all residents and their families said they would recommend Windsor to others who are in need of skilled nursing and rehabilitation.



Quality Management Program



On a daily basis, Windsor emphasizes responsibility and accountability to the entire team. To ensure that we meet our own standards, the quality of Windsor’s care is measured in patient satisfaction scores and by continuously monitoring clinical outcomes. As part of Windsor’s ongoing Quality Management Program, this data is carefully benchmarked against other facilities treating similar patients.

Satisfaction is measured by surveying and monitoring our performance in the following areas:

• - Skilled Nursing Care
• - Rehabilitation Care
• - Admission and Discharge Services
• - Activities and Social Services
• - Food Quality and the Dining Experience
• - Customer Service

Nursing Home Rating System

In the near future, you will read about a new Five-Star Quality Rating System. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) designed this comparison system to assist prospective patients and their families and caregivers select the right long-term care facility, a choice that can be, after all, heart wrenching and potentially daunting.

It is good news that today’s skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers differ greatly from the conventional nursing homes of the past. At Windsor, you will find residents who require long-term care, but you are equally likely to meet residents who stay only briefly, depending on the nature of their illness, injury or rehabilitation needs. Because nearly one third of Windsor’s residents receive transitional short-term rehabilitation, rather than traditional long-term nursing home care, this rating system’s limitations may confuse rather than assist.

There are many important resources available for prospective residents who are seeking care for themselves or a loved one, and CMS data may also be useful. At the same time, you are encouraged to take all available resources into account as you consider your options. Just as it is impossible to buy a car without kicking the tires, it is impossible to make the right healthcare choice without personally visiting Windsor. Please make an appointment to stop by.

HIPPA Privacy and Confidentiality

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of individually identifiable health information. To learn more about it and the HIPPA Security Rule, which sets national standards for the security of electronic protected health information; and the confidentiality provisions of the Patient Safety Rule, which protect identifiable information being used to analyze patient safety events and improve patient safety, please refer to www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy.